The present invention relates to a post made of moldable material.
Outdoor posts were traditionally made from wood for the use of fencing, decking and support columns. Because of environmental and conservation concerns, the availability of wood material has diminished, and as a result, the cost of wood has increased. Therefore other materials have been used as a substitute for wood.
One such product used is plastic material, which is less expensive, moldable to various shapes, and weather resistant. Although plastic material has many advantages over wood, a hollow post made of plastic material does not provide an adequate amount of strength for most uses. To alleviate this problem, many posts or railing made of plastic material incorporates a metal rod extending through the longitudinal length of the post. Although the center steel rod provides the necessary strength to the post or spindle, the insertion of the rod not the of the post requires added assembly time at the manufacturing site or at the construction site of a house, fencing, or deck, etc.
It is the intent of the invention to address the aforementioned concerns regarding the use of plastic for a post. The present invention provides a post comprising a column structure having a hollow interior wherein the column structure has a elongate first half member and a elongate second half member. Each half member is made of moldable material and connectable to each other for forming the column structure with a hollow interior. Each half member has integrally formed support members attached to inner surfaces and extending therefrom into the hollow interior.
Another aspect of the invention includes that a support member from one half member is disposed between two adjacent support members from the other half member when the first and second half members are joined together.